Fox Unlocks Shows on Xbox One for Pay-TV Subscribers

Full episodes of Fox primetime shows including “The Simpsons,” “New Girl” and “Almost Human” are now playing on Microsoft’s new Xbox One — but only to customers of participating cable, satellite and telco TV partners.

The broadcaster’s Fox Now streaming service has launched for Xbox Live Gold members in the U.S. on Xbox One. Fox debuted on the older Xbox 360 in September 2012. The service offers day-after-air access to shows and other content to video subscribers of Comcast, Dish Network, AT&T U-Verse, Cablevision, Verizon FiOS and several smaller operators.

In the near future, according to Fox, users of both Xbox One and Xbox 360 apps for Fox Now will have access to synchronized content for several series via Xbox SmartGlass, which serves up additional material based on what’s playing on TV on a tablet or smartphone. Microsoft said Wednesday it has sold 2 million Xbox One consoles since they went on sale Nov. 22 in 13 countries, while Sony said it has sold 2.1 million PlayStation 4s in the first two weeks of its launch.

Since launching a year ago, Fox Now apps have been downloaded more than 5 million times. The service is accessible across nine digital platforms, including iOS, Android, Windows 8, Roku, Xbox 360 and Samsung Smart TV, and Fox said it plans to add more devices over the next few months.

Series available on Fox Now include new shows “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “Dads,” “Almost Human” and “Sleepy Hollow” as well as returning shows including “The Following,” “Family Guy,” “The Simpsons,” “New Girl,” “The Mindy Porject” and “Bob’s Burgers.” Next year Fox plans to add full episodes of more new shows, including “Enlisted,” “Rake” and “Lucas Bros. Moving Co.”

In addition, Xbox One users can watch hundreds of short-form videos, including behind-the-scenes cast interviews, performances from “The X Factor” and “American Idol,” and special featurettes.

Other features of the Fox Now app on Xbox One including the ability use the console’s Kinect attachment to navigate using voice commands and gestures; and a continuous-playback feature that automatically plays the next episode or clip in series.